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Last week, the stunningly redesigned Delicious Days — seriously, looking at that site brings rolling fields awash in sunlight to mind — paid homage to food blogs and the way they quickly became her favorite place to get recipes; they’re tested, photographed and honestly discussed. I couldn’t agree more, except unlike Delicious Days, I sometimes bookmark recipes others have referenced but then completely forget who first whispered the url in my ear. This is a both wonderful and terrible thing, wonderful because Monday night, I made one of the best tomato sauces I’ve ever eaten, but terrible because I can’t remember who to thank.

Nonetheless, if you’re into that whole, oh, you know, blistered tomato, garlic/olive oil/sharp cheese type of thing, you simply must try this. The best part, if you ask me, is that you can even make it with those cherry or large grape tomatoes that stay eerily fantastic — I try not to question it — through the winter. Halve them and roast them cut side up in an olive oil slicked baking dish and top them with a mix of bread crumbs, garlic, parmesan and romano cheeses for all of twenty minutes, and ta-da, deliciousness is yours.

I’m going to have to insist that you use fresh bread crumbs here — that sawdust from a can probably won’t cut it. But fortunately, that’s as easy as grabbing a single cheapo bakery roll from your grocery store, slicing it into discs, drying it in the oven for 10 minutes or so (hey, you’re preheating the oven anyhow) and pulsing it in the food processor. Even the flavor of the most generic roll is miles ahead of the stale, pre-packaged alternative.

And that’s all there is. I mean, sure, you can crank out a batch of fettuccine while your tomatoes are roasting, matching fresh ingredients to even fresher ones, but you could also boil a pot of fusilli, like the recipe suggests. Either way, this is the best quick pastas I’ve had in eons, something I am sure will quickly become a staple, so thank you, whomever you are. Meals like this alone make my countless weekly hours of blog-gazing worthwhile.

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with 2 to 3 tablespoons of the oil.

Place the tomatoes cut side up in the dish.

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, cheeses, and garlic and toss with a fork to mix well. Sprinkle the bread-crumb mixture over the tomatoes, making sure that each cut side is well covered with the crumb mixture. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and then the final tablespoon of olive oil. Bake until the tomatoes are cooked through and starting to brown on top, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Time the pasta so it finishes cooking about the time the tomatoes are ready to come out of the oven.

The Pasta Recipe I’ve Been Coming Back To, Again and Again
Adapted from Gourmet Magazine

To make pasta dough in a food processor: Blend flour, eggs, salt, and water in processor until mixture just begins to form a ball, adding more water, drop by drop, if dough is too dry (dough should be firm and not sticky). Process dough for 15 seconds more to knead it. Transfer to a floured surface and let stand, covered with an inverted bowl, 1 hour to let the gluten relax and make rolling easier. (Note: I skimped on the one hour waiting this time, and it still worked out just fine.)

To make dough by hand: Mound flour on a work surface, preferably wooden, and make a well in center. Add eggs, salt, and water to well. With a fork, gently beat eggs and water until combined. Gradually stir in enough flour to form a paste, pulling in flour closest to egg mixture and being careful not to make an opening in outer wall of well. Knead remaining flour into mixture with your hands to form a dough, adding more water, drop by drop, if dough is too dry (dough should be firm and not sticky). Knead dough until smooth and elastic, 8 to 10 minutes. Cover with an inverted bowl and let stand 1 hour (to make rolling easier).

92 comments on baked tomato sauce

Very interesting idea, I had never thought of roasting tomatoes with breadcrumbs (or using cheese while roasting to create a “sauce”). I bet it would also be amazing to start with some home-made confit tomatoes instead of fresh ones mmmm the possibilities :)
Simple is better in many cases, and this is definitely one of them.

And I have to agree with you on blogs, they just give you a better insight into recipes, and a closer look. If only all of our blogs were as beautiful as Delicious Days!

That looks simply delicious! Tomatoes, garlic, cheese, perfect! I’ll have to settle for dried pasta though as a pasta machine is still on my “wish” list! I’ll have to add that baking dish of yours on my list as well…

Yum! Will definitely try this. I’ve started copy and pasting recipes I find on the web into emails I send myself. I use gmail’s tag function, tag ’em as recipes, and then I have my internet cookbook anywhere there’s a computer! Very helpful.

Oh no! Of course you would recommend something as amazing-looking and right up my alley as this recipe on the first day of Lent when I have given up white carbs! It’s going to be a long 40 days, but now I know what I’ll be serving with my Easter ham this year!!

Uhhh…may I have a rag for my drool?? I love roasting tomatoes but I have yet to attempt doing so with the little ones. It looks simple and delish. Since I am going to be alone next week, I might have to make this dish. Now, how can I convince B to get my the Kitchen Aid food processor I want???

Sounds delicious! I’ll be sure to try this recipe. And no need to thank me for this suggestion, which I must insist that you try: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109105 — Castellane with Mascarpone and Roasted Grape Tomatoes. (Never made it with castellane, but I can vouch for it being delicious with all kinds of pasta! and I always use less mascarpone than they call for…but only so I can eat a lot without feeling too terribly guilty :)…)

Oh this is perfect! I have some grape tomatoes almost ready to go in the bin. Now I have a way to use them! Too bad I just had pasta last night (corkscrews, natch). Yum yum yum… so basically after done roasting, just toss with the pasta? Mmm!

I can vouch for the deliciousness of this as I am digging into a bowl right now! A friend directed me to your site just as I was wondering what to make for dinner – your description and beautiful pictures were too tempting to ignore. Thanks for a great recipe. Simple, aromatic, sweet and a great use of a bag of drooping cherry tomatoes. Now. Must. Go. Eat.

I have this exact recipe stuck on my fridge (but reading 1/3 olive oil), credited to Nancy Harmon Jenkins. I’m always surprised at how good it is, because it seems like nothing much and is astoundingly easy.

Ohhhh yes, that pasta sauce is a marvel. I’ve been making it since I saw it in the book and it’s one of my favorites. (And it is Nancy Harmon Jenkins’.) It truly ALWAYS tastes good. I can’t even imagine how good this must be with fresh pasta.

I made this last night. It was delicious. Perfect weeknight dinner. Thanks so much for the recipe Deb (and to the person you got it from…wherever you are!). Next time I am going to add some capers. Mmmm

I keep a small box on a shelf in my kitchen, and all manners of old bread go into it. Crusts, cast-offs, stale buns etc, and when it’s full I take it out and put in through the food processor along with any old crackers or even chips and pretzels that have sat too long in the cupboards. Sometimes the bottom of the cereal bags go into it as well. What comes out is an amazing array of flavor that’s never the same twice but makes the most wonderful bread crumbs that I keep shut up tight in a container. It’s a treasure trove of convenience and goodness.

Oh Deb?? That recipe looks fantastic! Your site is always beautiful. And delicious.

frightening really – i made something too similar for dinner last night! though i didn’t use fresh pasta. i haven’t made it fresh in a few months, and i miss it. probably because i only eat pasta (for caloric reasons) when it is fresh because it is then, and only then, i feel it’s worth it. I should really get on that. a nice pasta dish is definitely in order and deserved ;). Thanks for sharing. I love your photos. how do you get so much light!? Are you just lucky enough to do these things during the day with lots or sunlight or do you stage the lighting?

Marce — Indeed. Between her site and 101 Cookbooks, I’m very jealous that I don’t have a graphic designer in house! I too was a little wary of roasting the cheeses for a “sauce” but it all worked out perfectly. Oh, and I added an extra clove of garlic, of course. ;)

Liz — What, Gmail has a tag function? Where have I been? Sometimes I feel like it’s Google’s world, I just live in it.

Jenifer from Houston — The Kitchen Aid stand mixer or the Cuisinart food processor? I vote for the latter, though I know that is blasphemy to some. I find I get much more use out of it. (Though speak to me when I actually have the counter space for my KA, this may change!)

mary — Indeed! I didn’t get to include this “story” but I have obviously been spending too much time watching the Food Network and not enough time watching the better cooking shows on PBS. Lately, I’ve been trying to catch a couple on the weekends, and it’s a whole new world! I am actually LEARNING things from watching a cooking show. Two weeks ago, I learned from Lydia Bastianach that it is more common to put bread crumbs (rather than cheese) on Southern Italian pasta dishes. (I hope I have this right, and do not offend anyway.) I had no idea, but after trying this, I can see why.

Jocelyn — I slipped over the edge, darling, when I made my own English muffins. The pasta, in comparison, is sane, logical and ridiculously easy.

CurlyHairDay — That sounds delicious. Anything with marscapone is delicious. Drool. This reminds me, years ago, I had clipped a recipe from the NYTimes (?) called “burst cherry tomato sauce.” For the name, of course. But essentially, you heated oil with some slivers of garlic, threw in whole cherry tomatoes, put a lid on it, and let them cook until they popped. I think Nigella would call this “slutty” as in a very good thing. I must find it, and make it again.

carla — Yup, definitely a lot more since we bought the machine, and I know how easy it is. Somehow it’s more worth it when it’s fresh. And ridiculously more filling.

Lily — Yay! A tried-and-true tester! (Whenever I find a new recipe on a food blog, I scroll down in the comments to see if anyone else made it, and if they liked it too, so I find your comment invaluable.) Thank you.

Nicole — You are absolutely right. I’m evidently losing my ability to do conversions in my head. That said, this is where I admit that I didn’t measure very well, just estimated. I think one could get away with less oil, if they’re worried about an excess of calories.

Nell — Epicurious does indeed credit it to her. I must find more by this woman — she sounds fabulous.

Luisa — It was you! I found it on your site, I realized after the point. You didn’t blog about it, but just referenced it after making a pasta sauce I think you liked less. Thank you!

Patricia Scarpin — I agree! It’s the first recipe I ever used, and I thought I would flit around for awhile, trying more yolk-heavy and other varieties, but it works every time. Next up on the past agenda: replacing some flour with whole wheat, and finding a way to use basil to get an honest, vibrant green pasta, unaided by food dyes. I’ve got plans for it!

Jennifer Adams — Stunning! Lovely job! The chocolateÃ¢â‚¬Â¦ I fear for when Alex sees those pictures, as “add chocolate” is pretty much his suggestion for every single recipe.

Erica — Oooh, capers. I love that idea.

Kate — Thanks for the idea. I really should do that. Especially considering the scraps and crumbs I always accumulate from my own homemade breads! Brilliant.

Linda — It wasn’t very light at all (though we do have overhead lighting) and I lightened it quite a bit in a photo editor. (Hence the slighty grainy quality.) Photos on this site are almost always divided into two camps: desserts, which I usually make in advance or have leftovers of so can take in daylight (they always, always look better) or dinner meals, eaten late and photos taken when I was impatient to eat (always need editing). But these are better because Alex took most of them.

Okay, seriously WHEN are you going to have your own food empire? I’m not sure exactly what your day job entails, but I believe given your wit, talent, insane photography skills, and creativity in the kitchen that there seems to be a huge opportunity for you! Something a la RR, but with WAY less e.v.o.o. :)

Wow look at me..my husbands aunt always made home made noodles..the ones I have tried in the past have been a gloppy mess and not even comparable. I used the machine and this wonderful dough like silly putty formed, they rolled easy and did not bond and stick to the previous cuttings, when I served this up my husband got a little emotional, has not had this favorite of his, beef and noodles since his aunt passed on. Thank you for the inspiration to try just one more time.

Deb, your choice of pasta and condiment are incredible. Oven roasting is the best thing a cook can do to resuscitate flavour in a typical tomato. I must agree with you, however, that cherry and grape tomatoes usually do have decent flavour au naturel. Thanks also for telling it like it is on the breadcrumb front. Have you ever tried making Sicilian bread crumb topping by taking your bread crumbs and toasting them with some olive oil? It’s a poor man’s parmesan. It’s also the way my wife and I frequently use our leftover/stale bread. I found this recipe:http://ilforno.typepad.com/il_forno/2006/04/imbb25_pasta_ca.html

Oh, excellent — this is going on the menu this week. And Kate, that box of bread scraps is a wonderful idea! Although I’m pretty sure the birds in the back yard are going to complain about this, since stale break has always been their property…

Since I’m eager to try anything that involves roasted veggies, I made this last night with extra cheese, lots of basil, and whole wheat spaghettini. I was a bit worried the subtle flavours might not stand up well to the ww pasta, but it was DELISH. Thanks for sharing!

Oh, thank you so much for this recipe! I made it last night and we all loved it, including my 3 year old son and 6 year old daughter who can both get incredibly picky at times. Thanks again, this will definitely go in my “to make over and over again” list!

Thanks for this recipe — tried it out last night, and it was a big hit, at least with my husband and myself. The kids (4 & 6) helped cook, but wouldn’t do anything more than taste the barest fragment of a corner of the tomatoes.

I used the lower amount of oil; 1/3 cup would have overwhelmed, I think, though it could also make it more of a dressing for the pasta. But since we weren’t using a whole recipe of pasta, 3Tbsp worked out fine.

OK, I made this tonight and that was good. Putting all those little half tomatoes face up in the baking dish was a little bit of a zen exercise, but the rest of it was easy enough to make up for that. And dang — yummy. Definitely one for the files.

Okay, I know I’m almost a year late, but I made this tonight after seeing it linked under the 7-yolk pasta. I didn’t have time to make fresh pasta, but this was delicious over whole-wheat spaghetti! The aroma is still lingering in my kitchen a few hours later, and it is truly a thing of beauty.

I am a year late also – but I just made this for my husband and myself and it turned out so fresh tasting and delicious. Honestly, I was a little surprised that he liked a pasta that was not dripping in sauce since that is usually the main criteria! We are adding this to our regular list, based on a promise I made to double the bread crumb mixture. :)

Another person that is a year late… you saved a box of grape tomatoes from oblivion. :-)
I added some prosciutto to this in the last 10 minutes of cooking so it would get nice and crispy. The husband voted that this should be added to the regular rotation!!!
Thanks very much for your wonderful blog!

This is one of my all-time favorite recipes! I’ve made a slightly different version of it for years and it is always amazing. I sometimes make it with romas when they are super cheep in the farmer’s markets or (to make a *really* pretty dinner) with baby heirloom tomatoes. They are so pretty, it’s like eating a bowl of rainbows. This recipe is impossible to mess up.

Nancy- You throw the basil in at the end when you mix the tomatoes with the pasta.

This recipe inspired me to to change up my spaghetti sauce recipe. I took my 20 pounds of tomatoes and cored them, sliced them in half and poured olive oil in a cookie sheet with a small lip on it. I sprinkled sea salt on liberally. I roasted them on my gas grill at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes. When they have cooled a bit I squeezed out the extra juice and pulverized them in the cusinart. I roasted some sweet onions and garlic in the same manner and added them to the cusinart. At the end I tossed in some basil and a splash of balsamic vinegar. I then processed bottles of the sauce in a boiling water bath for 20 minutes. Yum! And Easy for alot of end of summer tomatoes.

A few years late, but glad to find this recipe tonight. One twist that takes the sauce in a different direction: add in a few anchovy filets before baking and then mix them in with the sauce over the noodles. Lovely.

I made this last night, and it was delicious!! I even made the pasta using your recipe, and without a pasta making machine….a little more time consuming, especially to cut it, but it still came out awesome! The only question I have is that you mention basil in the list of ingredients, but in your directions I couldn’t find where to add it…I assume at the end? All your recipes that I have tried have been awesome…thanks for making me a better cook and baker!

I made this last night, but with store-bought whole wheat pasta. The store-bought because I’m lazy; the whole wheat because I had to run long-distance today. Anyway, the sauce part turned out really well (what more would I expect?) but the pasta sort of brought it down a notch, both due to its texture and some incidents with the stove and the pot of water. I’ll probably make this with white pasta sometime- I’m sure it’ll turn out amazingly well!

Hey Deb, about to write about this (finally) on my site, and as I read through your post and looked at the Epicurious recipe page, realized that the last step of the recipe is omitted! As it reads in the book, in the final step, you remove the tomatoes from the oven, mash them with a fork, mixing the topping in with the tomatoes, drizzle in the remaining oil and throw in the torn basil leaves, then mix with the drained pasta. :) Do you even read comments this far back? Hi! xo

I just made this the other night, but I roasted it with the basil (instructions didn’t say what to do with it, so I put it on top of the tomatoes). And once it was done, I added in a sliced roasted red onion, 2 small roasted zucchini – sliced, and some cooked ground Italian sausage. It was delightful! The sweetness of the roasted veggies against the slight tartness of cherry tomatoes – utterly addicting!

I made this dish last night with fresh pasta and although I wanted to love it (I mean, what’s not to love?) it came out dreadfully dry. Did anyone else have this problem? Perhaps next time I’ll try to save some of the pasta water to make it more saucey but, for me, this one was rather a dud :(

I made this yesterday with my last of the season cherry tomatoes but used regular pasta. I agree it was dry but it was pretty tasty anyway. Maybe you really need that 1/3 c. olive oil. I used a few tablespoons of the pasta water but of course it moistened the crunchy topping. I tossed the basil into the pasta and tomatoes as I mixed them up. I also decided to top with a few cubes of fresh mozzarella for serving, but mostly because I had some to use up. I like the idea of tossing in some onion and zukes for more veggies as well as moistness. Will try that next time.

with the weather warming up in philly (50s, almost tropical compared to the blizzard of 3 weeks ago), I was browsing your recipe list and this jumped out at me. I added some fresh chopped buffalo mozzarella and basil upon plating and OH MY GOD. spring/summer on a plate. going back from seconds now!
THANKS!

Preparing this right now. Will advise outcome. Nephew graduating from HS next month and requested all-Italian fare, so I’m practicing. Cooking for 50 will be challenging, but this child is so worth it.

Just made this and LOVED it. so easy and a great way to use cherry tomatoes ( can never seem to find a way to use a whole pound) I used a parm/asiago/romano blend from trader joes . I love how the cheese and bread that fell between the tomatoes got all goey and crispy. YUM. Just discovered your site and am totally in love. Now im off to make your pop tarts :)

I think this would be DELISH schmeared on a crusty, rustic grilled pizza, maybe with a few onions or leeks and prosciutto thrown on and a tad more melty cheese. Tad. I will try tonight…!!

P.S. Just made a batch of oven-dried cherry tomatoes, same idea, longer in the oven, roast w/garlic and herbs, no crumbs/cheese. Each morsel is like a kick of major pizza flavor in your mouth! Willy Wonka should have been so clever.

P.P.S. I let the halved tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, herbs, s&p sit in a bowl together while waiting for oven space to open up. When I’d finished putting the ‘maters on the pan, the juices left over in the bowl were like the MOST divine salad dressing I’d ever tasted! That was an accident, but one that went into an empty jar for my salad later :). Why has this never occurred to me? Ripe tomato juice is a perfect blend of sweet and acid for adding to dressings like that.

Delicious! I made this recipe last night and served it with poached eggs instead of pasta … fantastic combination especially with the crunch of the breadcrumbs! Thanks for the fantastic recipe … cheers from my small BKLYN kitchen to yours!

Yummy….exactly as written. Full disclosure, used dried basil instead of fresh (sprinkled on tomatoes before cooking) and used tomatoes that were ready for the garbage bin. This preparation saved the tomatoes!

yum, made the tomato part this evening and served it over polenta with roasted salmon! Those 1 lb crates at the market are so enticing, yet I never seem to finish them before they go bad. Not this time! I used a handful for salad a few days prior, and the rest for this dish. Sprinkled fresh basil over them right out of the oven. The slicing is a bit time-intensive, but the rest is easy peasy, and delicious!

this was so awesome! i used a random assortment of tomatoes (a couple heirloom, some roma) from the ‘ugly’ bin at the farmer’s market. i also roasted some diced zuchinni and tossed that in after roasting the tomatoes. although i just served this over store-bought pasta (delicious!), i think it would be great served with eggplant or chicken parmesan.

thanks for another fabulous recipe deb, i will definitely make this again. it’s perfect for entertaining or a low-key night at home :)

Made this sauce for dinner with friends (used dry whole wheat Conchiglie pasta). A week after that dinner we meet again and they told me “they cannot stop thinking about this sauce and that it is the best pasta dish they have ever eaten”

This has become one of our all time favorites and great for dinner with friends. Minor changes – adding the Parmesan at the end rather than in the oven – the result was lighter. make sure you flour the pasta sheets well between stages, this makes the process so easy as they don’t stick together. Matching a wine to this turned out to be a huge challenge – I’m no great connoisseur, but everything we tried just tasted so wrong until we came across an Italian semi-dry bubbly that worked perfectly. enjoy!

One of my favorite recipes on your site! According to the original recipe, the final instructions should be:

“When the tomatoes are done, add the basil and stir vigorously to mix everything into a sauce. Drain the pasta and immediately transfer it to the baking dish. Add the remaining olive oil and mix well. Serve at once.”

Loved this. So flavourful. Made the pasta in my Cuisinart and used the Kitchen Aid pasta attachment to roll it. I liked the homemade pasta recipe better than the one I have been using for years. Added the basil which is called for in the original recipe by Nancy Harmon Jenkins. Two of us managed to eat it all, so we would have to double the recipe for company, or behave ourselves.

Just wanted to note this is one of my favorite recipes! I add some anchovies to the bread crumb mix (and don’t add salt) and roast it with the tomatoes, I also tend to use Parmesan cheese and Panko bread crumbs and am very generous with the basil at the end. Delicious every time and such a quick and easy dinner to make.